I've played a few games so far with Environmental Testing and I would say it has exceeded my expectations. The reason is simply that one for 6 is very strong. Almost no other economy cards come close to this exchange rate, except for a really big Bravado or drip cards like Rezeki that pay out over many turns.

This is of course the best case scenario for ET, but is pretty easy if you get the timing right. Self-modifying Code, Simulchip, Rezeki and Misdirection earns you your four programs/hardware. As does SMC, Simulchip, search for an icebreaker then reinstall SMC.

It really is not that difficult to hit this point, so it is possible to get explosive amounts of money pretty quickly, all for a down payment of 3. ET has been compared to Technical Writer, which while having much less overhead (0 install cost) it builds up much more slowly, and requires a second click to use.

I think this card may be strong enough to be worth importing into Az or other hardware-heavy Crims that install a lot of Boomerangs. If your typical rig uses >4 hardware/programs, consider it!

Really fascinating card.

First of all, just want to say that I really love the theme and art of this card. Nice to see a very non-nihilistic theme on an Anarch card.

I think The Twinning is going to be very strong, and used across factions. As pointed out it is similar to The Turning Wheel, but has a bit of a different cadence to it.

The Twinning will gain counters when used with cards like the four anarch companions, Scrubber, Paricia, Cezve, Penumbral Toolkit, Prepaid VoicePAD, Mantle, Net Mercur (but not Smoke--she's not installed), and Flame-out.

Also, because it uses power counters, it can also be charged with cards like Daeg, Stoneship Chart Room, Into the Depths, and of course, Captain Padma.

With all of these synergies I think that it could be argued that The Twinning has a home in each faction. If you use a companion and then use Cezve during a run the next turn, you have just earned either a Legwork or The Maker's Eye. This card can gain a lot of counters over just a few turns and release them in huge onslaughts in the end game on R&D and HQ. It will be slightly less bursty than The Turning Wheel as the accesses are limited to +2/run, but at an exchange rate of +1 access per power counter it will easily be able to provide a steady stream of additional accesses. My guess is it will be a strong multi-access build-around card, or could be something that can just be slotted as a 1-of if you have the influence to spare.

Also, it combos nicely with Divide and Conquer. :D

I think this card is likely underrated. Granted it isn't a powerhouse by any means, and NISEI has said that they plan to generally reduce the power of ice from here on out.

But I think this card has an effect that is very rarely seen: guaranteed net damage mid-run. Aside from specific damage prevention cards like Caldera or padding like Aniccam (note we are losing I've Had Worse, Sports Hopper, and Guru Davinder when Midnight Sun is released), the runner is guaranteed to take 2 net damage when this card is rezzed, no matter how many credits or breakers they have.

Other common cards that can cause damage mid-run (outside of accessing an Urtica Cipher or Snare!) are Ben Musashi and Hokusai Grid. But Anemone adds another layer of calculus to how safe a server is, outside of the server's root. If there is an unrezzed ice in front of a remote, it could now require SIX cards to steal Obokata Protocol, or stealing a Sting! could now be part of a run that deals up to 5 non-optional damage at once, just from one unrezzed ice.

When to rez Anemone is an interesting decision for the Corp, I think, and also presents some interesting decisions to the Runner. If the Corp suddenly chooses to rez an Anenome, what are they thinking? Is this advanced card actually an Urtica Cipher and not a Nisei MK II? Should I jack out?

I think it will be interesting to see how Jinteki evolves when Midnight Sun is released in full, and if they get some of the pep back in their step that they very much need. I hope that in the meantime, Anemone will be a fun addition to their mind-game arsenal.

I'm a big fan of Verbal Plasticity, as it represents another influence-free draw option for Runners to think about. But how does it stack up against the competition?

First of all, Plasticity has already been the subject of numerous comparisons, some more useful than others. It's optional Wyldside. It's once-per-turn Laguna Velasco District. It's Symmetrical Visage but draws cards. It's DreamNet but triggers on draw. However, I think the most appropriate comparison is to Earthrise Hotel, the popular neutral draw-engine resource. So, to compare the two:

Earthrise costs a click to draw, a click to install, and four credits. In return, it draws you 6 cards over 3 turns, and then is trashed. This is essentially just turning your credits into cards. If you had clicked for all of these credits, you'd be spending 6 for 6 cards. However, the advantage comes in because it is easier to gain multiple credits for a single click. It's worth noting that every copy of Earthrise in your deck can be played for card draw, but you can only have one in play at a time.

Verbal Plasticity costs a click to draw, a click to install, and three credits, one less than Earthrise. The big differences here are that 1) You only ever need 1 Verbal Plasticity, but the earlier you get it the better 2) You need to invest more clicks post-install, while Earthrise is clickless 3) One Earthrise gives you 6 cards, always. Verbal gives you cards for every turn the game goes on, provided you want to draw.

To compare them directly:

Turn 0--VP: 3 Clicks, 3 Credits, for 2 card (0.66card/) EH: 2 Clicks, 4 Credits, for 0 cards (0card/)

Turn 1--VP: 4 Clicks, 3 Credits, 4 cards (1card/). EH: 2 Clicks, 4 Credits, 2 Cards (1card/)

Turn 2--VP: 5 Clicks, 3 Credits, 6 cards (1.2card/) EH: 2 Clicks, 4 Credits, 4 Cards (2card/)

Turn 3--VP: 6 Clicks, 3 Credits, 8 cards (1.33card/) EH: 2 Clicks, 4 Credits, 6 Cards (3card/)

Turn 4--VP: 7 Clicks, 3 Credits, 10 cards (1.42card/). EH: 2 Clicks, 4 Credits, 6 Cards (3card/)

Turn 5--VP: 8 Clicks, 3 Credits, 12 Cards (1.5card/). EH: 2 Clicks, 4 Credits, 6 Cards (3card/)

Turn 6--VP: 9 Clicks, 3 Credits, 14 Cards (1.55card/). EH: 2 Clicks, 4 Credits, 6 Cards (3card/)

Turn 7--VP: 10 Clicks, 3 Credits, 16 Cards (1.6card/). EH: 2 Clicks, 4 Credits, 6 Cards (3card/)

The takeaways here are: Earthrise gives you 3 cards/, but only ever gives you 6 cards. Verbal Plasiticity approaches 2 cards/ the longer it is used, but can theoretically be used for many more cards than Earthrise can ever be. At turn 4 (5 with Verbal) you have met the "+ = cards" point, which Earthrise hit on Turn 3. But at this point, the click investment is much more than what Earthrise has, and clicks are more useful than credits. In my opinion, you want 6 or more out of Verbal Plasticity (turn 5). At 6 uses you essentially have drawn 7 times, then spent a and 3 to draw 5 cards, which is a Quality Time.

I think Verbal has some major disadvantages here. 1) It is only efficient over long timescales. If you aren't playing this in the first turn or two, don't bother. 2) Every turn you choose not to click to draw, you are missing out on efficiency.

The upshot of this is--how often are you drawing? Earthrise is helpful because it can clicklessly draw you through a burst of cards quickly. Most of the time, you don't need to draw through your entire deck, just enough to get your breakers out and economy set up. Earthrise helps with this. Notably, Verbal Plasticity does cost you much fewer credits than Earthrise. If you wanted to draw 12 cards with two Hotels, that costs you 8. But it still only costs you 3 with Verbal Plasticity, just lots of clicks over the course of the game.

For these reasons, I think that Earthrise Hotel is likely the better option for the majority of runners. Maybe event-based Runners who are incredibly draw thirsty for the entirety of the game would make use of Plasticity. Or maybe if Faust was still around, those Runners would want it. But other than that, it is typically too costly to spend a click every turn drawing to get your investment back. In conclusion, my advice would be to run Earthrise, and if you are still lacking draw after all other options are exhausted, then you switch to Verbal Plasticity.

Note: 3 Earthrise is 6 and 12 for 18 cards. To draw 18 cards with Verbal Plasticity, it is 11 and 3. If you expect to consistently need all three Earthrises or more, just run Verbal. But at that point, what kind of deck are you playing?

This card is brand new but I'm going to pretend that I only have a mayfly's lifespan to write a review! So here are my initial impressions of Mayfly after jamming a bunch of casual games.

Mayfly is the AI Icebreaker out of System Gateway, replacing the old standard Crypsis, and I think a replacement was much needed. I recently have played some System Core 2019 games and watching the Runner install Crypsis was too painful. It was such a tempo hit to install and use! Mayfly trades off this cumbersome cost with a one-time use effect. I think this design is inspired, showing new players that the strength of the program doesn't matter, as long as it gets you into the server. As an introductory AI icebreaker, Mayfly is a handy tool that will teach new players the fundamentals of the game as they play.

In a competitive sense, I actually think Mayfly has a lot to offer. People have talked about its synergy with Kabonesa Wu and Flame-out, which certainly seems strong. But even in other decks, I think Corps would do well to worry about this little guy. The ability for the Runner to turn a sum of money into an access, no questions asked, is not to be underestimated. I have already had several games where I felt safe rushing out behind two pieces of ice, only to have a Mayfly and a handful of credits ruin my plans. Mayfly will surely have a place in decks looking to land critical runs, such as those using Apocalypse, but I think it may be more generally useful in the early game to keep Corps honest. I kind of live in fear of this bug.

So I guess my message is this: Remember the Mayfly! An install and an Overclock could be all it takes to break a critical early-game advantage, like an Atlas counter or an ARES score. I think Runners should consider slotting one of these, as it can be helpful at all stages of the game, if you have the credits.